Sojourner Truth is known as a women’s rights activist and abolitionist. She was born in New York in 1797, when social conditions in the United States were incredibly complicated for African Americans, and slavery still existed (Painter, 2018). Truth’s parents were slaves kept by Colonel Hardenbergh in his estate (Painter, 2018). At the age of nine, the girl was sold to another slaveholder. Truth only spoke Dutch at that time, and her educational background was limited. However, she escaped in 1826 and won a case against a white male as the first African-American woman (Painter, 2018). Even though no formal nursing existed at that time, Truth’s contributions to this field were significant since she was a strong advocate for training programs for nurses to provide better patient care.
Sojourner Truth believed in truth, justice, and equality for all people, which made her escape slavery and advocate for women’s rights. Furthermore, she joined the National Freedman’s Relief Association which aimed to improve the African Americans’ lives (Painter, 2018). Our group finds this person truly inspirational as she challenged the racial and gender inferiority despite all the challenges of her era and became a charismatic speaker who fought for others’ rights and delivered important speeches.
Truth is different due to the complications of her times, which she challenged and successfully overcame to help other people. The values we share with this person as nurses-in-the-making are the faith in equality, support, and high-quality health care for everyone. The past work of Sojourner Truth became a foundation for other activists who promoted nursing educational programs and equal rights and contributed to present-day nursing. Truth’s story is remarkable and empowering since her hard work provided a basis for modern society.
Reference
Painter, N. I. (2018). Difference, slavery, and memory: Sojourner Truth in feminist abolitionism. In J.F. Yellin & J. C. Van Horne (Eds.), The Abolitionist Sisterhood (pp. 139-158). Cornell University Press.